My husband and I recently tried this restaurant on a Saturday night. We were unaware that there was going to be live music, so the wait was a bit long. Once seated we were approached very quickly by the waitress. We were given some bread--it wad disgusting and beyond dry. The waitress was unable to tell us what kind of bread it was. I had a few questions about the menu that the waitress was unable to answer, nor did she offer to ask the kitchen. Finally I decided to get the baked haddock with a side of house risotto. Why? I asked the waitress what kind of risotto it was. Her response "the regular kind". Hmmm. When I pressed further she told me it was bacon with absolutely no vegetables. Long story short, the haddock was great--perfectly seasoned and cooked. The risotto was very good as well, although disappointly it had green beans and carrots in it (not a spec of bacon). My husband got a burger with a side of fries and freshly boiled carrots--very impressed with all three. We will definitely be back for the food, although the service left much to be desired. Unknowledgeable wait staff who made things up and didn't take the time to find out the right answers:minus 1 star.
Review Source:Truly, one of my favorite eateries. Â If you have been to Ireland, you can definitely appreciate the atmosphere. Â I love guinness and it is hard to find a place that knows how to serve a good guinness. Â This is the BEST guinness i have had besides the actual brewery in Dublin. Â I am a regular for breakfast lunch and dinner. Â The belgian waffle with bananas is my favorite for breakfast, for lunch i love having the grilled cheese with ham and tomato with a french onion soup. Â The best french onion soup in the land. Â For dinner, my favorite dish was the chicken parm believe it or not, they had the best chicken parm in the land. Â They only do the chicken parm on Thursday nights as a special. Â On a regular basis, i go with the fish and chips!! Â Every meal i have had here has been spectacular. Â I started going here when it first opened because i heard the chef was really cute. Â She is actually pretty hot and boy can she cook!!!! Â Not bad for a derry mucker!
Review Source:I've only been here once, but I had a great experience! My husband and I decided to check this place out on a Saturday night, and we found it was hoppin! It's not the largest restaurant, and from the looks of it, people were making themselves comfortable and hanging around long after they had finished eating. We ended up waiting about a half an hour for a table, next time we'll go later in the evening.
Once we were seated the service was fast and friendly. Our waitress brought us some tasty Irish bread. About the time we were seated the live performer started playing. I braced myself to be assaulted by obnoxious songs but I was pleasantly surprised by the traditional Irish music he played. Everyone in the bar area were really getting into his performance. It was a lot of fun. He was a little loud, so it was a good thing I wasn't on a romantic date!
My husband ordered the boiled dinner and loved it. I ordered the salmon special and it was awesome. Apple, maple glaze on the fish and a parmesan-crusted tomato. I finished every bite.
We'll definitely come back, both for dinner and to try their breakfast! (Their breakfast menu online looks delicious)
UPDATE: My husband and I went this morning for breakfast. They have iced coffee, which I love. My waffle with strawberries and cream was excellent, but I would have enjoyed a few more strawberries on top. My husband got the breakfast buffet. He was wary of the buffet at first (Is there anything worse than a sad breakfast buffet??) But he was sold when he heard there was corned beef hash. Turns out the corned beef hash was just 'decent' but what he really loved was the eggs benedict. Perfectly cooked eggs with delicious hollandaise sauce - not that crap from a package.
By the time we left about 9:30 the place was busy. No wonder, this place is great for breakfast.
We checked this place out for breakfast a couple of weeks ago and thought it had a fabulous atmosphere and interesting menu.  Tonight we had dinner and I was very impressed!  I have to admit to being a food snob and hardly ever eat at a  restaurant that serves pub selections, but this place was fabulous!   I can attest that the "Cottage Pie" is delicious and the brownie sundae, to die for!!!  I was also warmed by the happy energy in the room.  Seldom have I been in a bar where there was such a great vibe.  I would say this is a special place and one I will return to over and over.
(If you're wondering why not 5 stars, I would say because my husband and son had the boiled dinner and their vegetables were not particularly flavorful.  Overall their dinner was very good though!  I know because I tried everything and enjoyed the corned beef  very much.)
P.S. Did not have any issues with service. Â Our waitress was a doll and our needs were attended to beautifully.
Love this place. I moved up to Methuen over 6 years ago and had been looking for a pub that I could go to for celtics games or a bite to eat here and there. Once I found the cottage I knew that it would now be my spot if I wanted to stay local. Â Great bar food (and breakfasts) and a nice beer selection especially for the Methuen area. Â The place itself feels like much more of a pub than you would think given its location. Has a homey feel though it is much bigger than you would think from the outside as well (huge bar too). My friends and I usually pop in for celtics games or random Friday nights and like to play keno, have a couple drinks and a meal. Always a friendly atmosphere and you don't need to worry about any meathead patrons bothering you because it's not that kind of place. Highly recommend the pot pies, cottage pie and short ribs. Their buffalo chicken dip is a great starter too though all of their apps are big portions and tasty. Â They have live Irish music on Friday and Saturday nights which can be fun and festive. Never had an issue with service though the staff is starting to remember me at this point which also helps!
Review Source:I'm on a roll with Yelp so of course, after trying this local place I didn't know existed, I knew I had to write something! I told our bartender, after our awesome lunch and drinks, I was going to write a rave review about her (and the food of course!), so here it is!
I would love to give the place 5 stars...there was just one off thing but it had nothing to do with our service or food. It's simply for location...if you don't have gps or a really great sense of direction, you're liable to never find this place. Luckily, one of my friends had told me you can "drive right by and miss it", so when my gps told me to take the turn, and I was in the middle of a shopping plaza, I had no clue where to go...my instict told me to bear right a bit, and there it was..kitty cornered at the end of the plaza....to which I'm thinking "Great..plaza food..this should be amazing" (think sarcasm here)...I'm glad to be proved wrong.
We sat at the bar..it was still fairly empty, so no issues getting seats on a Saturday afternoon around 1 pm. The bartender took our drink order shortly after sitting down as we waited for a friend. She promptly took hers when she arrived as well.. We decided to try the nacho appetizer..hand cut potatoes that are served just like nachos would be...we just decided to forego the bacon. It was DELICIOUS! It was a heaping portion, and with 3 of us, it overserved us...we ended up taking 80% of it home. When I asked the bartender what SHE would order for a sandwich..she gave me her "speciality"....which was grilled cheese on their sourdough bread, with ham and a fried egg. Ok, what the heck, I thought..I never eat grilled cheese anymore, never mind throwing ham and an egg into the mix. OH MY WORD. SO good!!!!! I had sweet potato fries with them, and tried maybe two...they tasted great. I ended up eating 1/ 2 the sandwich and taking the other half home. The other two also ordered their own versions of grilled cheese sandwiches, and loved it...including the onion rings. We were stuffed, but of course, as women, we just HAD to try dessert. So we chose the Bananas foster sundae to split three ways...let me tell you...if  you go and DON'T try this dessert, shame on you. I can only tell you it is one of THE BEST desserts I've had in a long time. We were so full, but it was worth it. Our bartender was definitely worthy of her 20% tip. At one point, during our meal, I was asking her about the bottles on the wall and if they were all whiskey. She took time to describe each one, and I found that refreshing..a bartender willing to talk to her customers. VERY COOL. (I'm sure if it was busy, her time would have been much more limited, which is to be expected. But having been in restaurants where a bartender could care less if you're the only patron in the place and keeps ignoring you, this was brownie points for her) The menu is HUGE. I'd like to try it in the evening and see if I have the same view on it then. The only thing I would say is this...make sure if you order an appetizer when it's NOT busy, that you tell them you'd like to wait a bit before the meal comes out. We weren't 1/4 way into the nachos before our meal came out..not the bartenders fault (and she did apologize), but it gives you time to chat, drink your cocktail, and settle a bit before your meal comes out. It is a small pub...casual dining...I'm thinking it's a blast for St Patty's Day. All in all..I recommend you give it a shot!
Took my Irish born Dad & Mom to the Irish Cottage last night and I have to say I was a bit leery because of previous occasions of bad service there.
Well, not last night... We were greeted at the door by a friendly face and it went well from there.
Our Irish born waitress Tara was an absolute doll!
She chatted with my Dad about "the old country" so of course he liked her immediately!
She was very attentive with a great demeanor towards all the customers.
The Irish decor made my parents feel right at home. Nice casual place with a variety of seating.
My mom got the Reuben sandwich with the fresh cut onion rings and she loved it.
My Dad & I each had a burger and the fresh cut sweet potato fries (the best I've ever had) Â everything is made fresh to order so some might find it a bit slow but it's well worth it once your food arrives.
My only gripe is that every time I've been there I can never seem to get a bartender that knows how to pour a proper black & tan ... Or a black & blue (Guinness & Blueberry Ale) I would've given one more star but it's happened at least 5 times and a different bartender every time.
It certainly won't stop me from going back though.
Came for breakfast... I loved that the options were unique and authentic in addition to the standard American breakfast fare. Â My corned beef hash was delicious - topped with perfectly poached eggs. Â The grilled english muffin is delightful! Â I ordered the beans, but enviously eye-balled the bowl of fresh fruit my dining companions each ordered... beans were good, but next time I'm going for the fruit! Â The prices are extremely fair and the hot Irish tea was strong and delicious! Â Service was quick and extremely polite. Â I would definitely recommend the Irish Cottage for breakfast and the atmosphere looked incredibly inviting for the evening crowd as well. Â Quite the bar set-up if you're looking for a nice pub feel.
Review Source:The food is really great but the service has really sucked for the second time in a row. Â We had to keep asking for drinks but we felt like we were bothering our waitress. Â I really think the staff here needs better training and to just be courteous. Â Â The table next to us was frustrated as well. Â We would've liked dessert but after waiting for 15 minutes for the server to walk by we were fed up.
Review Source:This place is very.. Irish. Came here for brunch on a Sunday morning, and they have all of your staple diner brunch foods, including some more Irish-y dishes. Pretty busy place, surprisingly. It's in a strip mall right off the highway, so easy to miss.
Didn't think the food was terribly special nor horribly wrong. It did do the trick for indulging in a cholesterol-laden breakfast.
Came here with my favorite breakfast pals for an 11-person holiday smorgasbord at the recommendation of one in our party. This place is a pub, so it wasn't already top on our list, but I'm SO GLAD we came. The inside is all pub decor-- a nice L-shaped bar, high tops, and booths. Irish decor and a full bar were the main visuals here. Since it was breakfast time, there was just low background music.
The staff were friendly and helpful, pushing three high-top tables together to accommodate our large and unannounced party. They immediately brought coffees out for everyone. They left full thermos pots of coffee at the table, along with plenty of cream and sugar, so we never had to bug the two waitresses serving us for constant refills. I LOVE that they do this, since waiting for refills takes so much time when you're with a big party.
They have a small but varied standard breakfast menu, although no french toast or waffles. Several omelet options. But the menu is augmented by more traditional Irish offerings of brown bread, salmon, black and white pudding, beans, and of course Corned Beef Hash. They also had a menu of breakfast specials. One of which during our visit was a variation on Irish Eggs Benedict (poached eggs on english muffins with corned beef hash and Hollandaise sauce) that several of us ordered, and was very very good.
A couple of the guys ordered the Full Irish Breakfast, and enjoyed it, but neither of them were fans of the Black Pudding (blood sausage). It does have a very different texture than American sausages. They both liked the White Pudding (same thing but without the blood, more of a standard American sausage.) Cecilia J. has posted a very helpful photo of this dish.
We arrived on the later side, and they stop serving breakfast at 11am on Sundays. We made it just in time for everyone to put their orders in before the menu changed, but to the delight of many people in our party, they opened their beer taps after noon and we ended up staying an hour longer to have a round of pints together. And to boot, the staff had no issue splitting the check multiple ways with a combination of cards and cash. Always a plus when you don't have the haggle that at the end of a meal!
We finally got to try the Irish Cottage last night.
It was a Friday night and it was BUSY we however only had to wait a few minutes before being seated in the back.
A decent black & tan, ($5.00) however as another reviewer noted, the bartender needs practice as it all looked black and was not separated.
The menu was pretty extensive. We decided on a corned beef quesadilla ($9.00) which was just ok. 4 small pieces and not worth the nine dollars.
I had the special - Cajan prime rib $15.99 which was a medium rare LEAN cut which was excellent which came with a nice and HOT mashed potatoes and mashed carrots and parsnips- both were delicious.
Dennis had the "Pot of Gold' which was chunks of prime rib in a stew, covered with puff pastry. It was VERY HOT and good. We asked for bread and got some authentic Irish brown bread (not as good as my Irish friends Brown bread) but still however good.
The bill- $56.00, $10 for 2 pints.
We will return but I still think the appts are overpriced.
Went there on a Saturday night - first time there. Â VERY VERY noisy with the live music and people whistling and singing along. Â If you don't want to speak to the person you are with, its PERFECT. Â I was actually losing my voice by the time we left from yelling across the table!
Food is really cheap and is OK! Â Our table ordered steak tips, cottage pie, and lobster ravioli. Â The steak tips were horrible - so dry they made you choke even though they were cooked medium as ordered. Â The cottage pie was excellent - very authentic and the lobster mac and cheese had a ton of lobster!
The place was really crowded with regulars. If you like Irish music (I discovered I don't!), try this place. Â If you go before 7:00 p.m., you can eat without screaming since the music doesn't start till 7.
OOPS...can't believe I haven't reviewed this favorite since I've eaten here at least ten times.
So that said, I think food is terrific, waitstaff good (right down to the Irish brogue many of them have) and management certainly listen to customers.
After suggesting that it was not conducive for lunch during workday...a new express lunch menu has appeared. Â You can't ask for anything better. Â Â
The easy access of 93 is a plus for making it a gathering place for friends. Â The only drawback is on a busy night there is no lobby for waiting but there is the Bar!
Hey...I have to say upon entry I was a little worried this would be a poor strip mall kinda nightmare...but hey, this was kinda nice...much more of the pub feel than I expected, large area, decent beer selection, friendly waitstaff (and some of them are cuties too!)...can't wait to give it a few more tries!
Review Source:So disappointing!
Went once for dinner on a weekend, the place was crowded but the service was fine, considering. The food was mediocre at best.
Went a second time for a late lunch during the week. Only three or four other parties in the restaurant at the time, but apparently only one waitress as well. Service was really, really slow. We waited for ages to have our orders taken, to have our food delivered, and then for at least 20 minutes to get our check. The french fries were fine but my chicken sandwich was dry and tasteless.
I love the idea of an irish cottage restaurant and it's super close to my house, but I doubt I'll go back.
Where should I start? Â Drinks good, now it down hill from here. Â Appt are tasteless, Salad OLD rotten cucumbers, old dressing. Â Told waitress and got nothing not even a new salad! Â Clams, don't screw them up in New England, they did. Â Put some Turkey in the Turkey pie. Â put something on the Haddock for flavor. Â Heat up the HOT Apple dessert. Â Take the Microwave out of the kitchen and get a new Chef!!!!
Review Source:I got the Grilled Ham and Cheese and Tomato. Â I had literally one slice of ham on my sandwich. Â It was all cheese and bread practically. Â I came during lunch hour when time is of the essense to eat out. Server showed no signs of urgency. Bad experiance and probably will not go back unless with a group of people. Â Lots of beer choices though.
Review Source:I've had the pleasure of eating breakfast and dinner here several times while traveling.
Dinner was pretty much standard American fare with some Irish twists. Except of course the "Mixed Irish Grill" which is all standard Irish fare. Dinner food was overall good but not much to write home about. It was pretty much pay what you get for.
Beer selection was excellent and standard mix of Irish and American beers (Guinness, Smithwick's, Bass, Sam Adams, Bud Light, etc).
Breakfast was homey since I went during the weekdays and was mostly the only customer there. The waitress, Sandy, was lovely to talk to and my food was prepared quickly. Food was delicious. Again basic American breakfast but with Irish twists. I enjoyed (several times) the American breakfast, with a grilled tomato and white pudding on the side (a sausage meat similar to Cincinnati's goetta, so good!).
Overall a good recommendation if you're in the area.
I love the food here. Everything that I ever ordered were GOOD! I LOVE the Ruben Sandwich and the Beef Stew.
The service can definitely needs some work.. We waited for a long time for the thousand island dressing and to get our drinks refilled.
Overall, it is a nice to go to...if you are not sitting in the dinning room.
I'd like title this review "The Best Guinness I've Ever Had!"
That's right, the Guinness was amazing. I guess they get it straight from Dublin according to our waitress. It was creamer and had a little different sweetness to it. Like yummy chocolate milk. I was DD so had to slowdown because it was so smooth.
The food was decent too. Tried out a little bit of a Reuben and ordered the grilled salmon + rice.
Our service was good for having a table of over 8 people during a Celtics game fairly late at night.
This is for a breakfast only outing:
From the outside, this place looks unflattering...the inside is gorgeous.
I was greeted and seated right away and had my nice hot cup of coffee delivered very fast. I ordered the (homemade) hash and eggs wiht h/f and toast.
I didnt wait very long before I dug into this awesome hash. Only complaint is more corned beef and less potato but it was still wicked good and wicked hot. Eggs are eggs but were cooked just right. The h/f were good...nothing special but they weren't crap. The toast was awesome...cooked perfectly, buttered corner to corner and it was think man toast not little tiny bitch toast.
Coffee was refilled several times as was my ice water.
All together, it cost me a shade over $10 and that was with a tip. I will definitely be going back for breakfast again.
As we sat waiting for our check I said I would officially never come here again. The standing room only crammed up against the front door while waiting 20 minutes for a table was uncomfortable. The hostess was less than friendly and a little snotty if she didn't know you as a "regular" or a friend which there seemed to be a lot of them that she was hugging and greeting a lot more friendly than the rest of us. We ended up sitting at a table directly next to the door which on a cold rainy night I had to eat with my jacket on because the cold air coming in was awful. Our waitress was friendly but our food took a LONG time. I recommend the onion rings or rings of Kelly or something like that they were pretty good, and I got the Lobster Ravioli. My dinner was good but could do without the bowl of sauce that the ravioli's came in. Â I will say it did come with a generous amount of lobster in the soup aside from just the raviolis. Aside from all of that, being sat up next to the door and rude hostess we got to hear everything that everyone said so... as they were trying to sit two huge parties next to us, I couldn't tell if they were trying to make us eat faster by giving us dirty looks or what but I do know that I heard the hostess and another waitress say that they were trying to make another table finish their food faster so they could use their table for a larger party. Anyhow... I guess I just don't get what the draw of huge crowds is to this place...it must just be that there's not a lot of places around! As we were driving home I noticed that Jackson's parking lot was empty... next time I'm just going to go there!
Review Source:The food is good here, and the atmosphere is very charming, but the service could use a *lot* of work!
The first time we went, I overheard some waitresses complaining about a customer "dissecting the menu" before we were even seated, and noticed that all the servers continued to act like they couldn't be more aggravated at having work to do. One waitress spilled chocolate milk on our table and never returned to clean it up. The restaurant had recently opened, so we assumed it was because they were busy and adjusting to all the business.
The second time we went, service was slow again and the waitress was less than friendly again. She made two different mistakes with our order and was super-annoyed when we asked her to correct it. (I swear we tried to be nice about it!)
We went a third time (not sure why), and this time a third waitress was even more rude. She acted as though our presence was a major inconvenience and was very snooty when I asked for extra fries instead of mushy peas with my fish and chips.
The waitresses all seem to be around the same age and resemble each other somewhat physically, which is kind of amusing; this place seems to hire a "type". Unfortunately, their attitudes all seem to match as well! They act as if having business is a big inconvenience to them. We live less than a mile away and good dining is scarce in Methuen, but the food and decor can't make up for the nasty personalities!
I loved the atmosphere, and the musicians visiting all the way from Ireland. Â Food was very good quality and I was very content with my lobster ravioli (doubt this is really Irish!). Â Dessert of bread and butter pudding was also scrumptious, not too sweet or heavy. Â They were extremely busy and we had to wait to be seated.
Review Source:I have gone there several times since my first visit for lunch, but just this morning we went there for Sunday breakfast. Â I had traditional Irish breakfast. Â The breakfast consisted of 2 fried eggs, potatoes, bachelor beans, 4 sausage, 2 slices of ham, 2 slices of dark pudding, 2 slices of white pudding,and 4 slices of Irish brown bread. Â My wife had an American breakfast:she had egg beaters at no extra charge, Irish brown bread and home fries. The cost of the traditional Irish breakfast was $10.95 and the American breakfast was $4.95. The service was was excellent and the food was really delicious. We will definitely go back again and again.
Review Source:Great atmosphere, but with slow service and, so far, only about average quality pub grub (though the selections are interesting). For instance, the deep-fried mushrooms stuffed with chevre are quite good, but the Cottage's take on pigs-in-a-blanket are, surprisingly, a snore. I've heard raves about the kitchen, but so far it hasn't lived up to the hype on the two occasions we've eaten there.
Sandwiches -- a roast beef deluxe (the menu items have impossible-to-remember Irish-themed names -- and I'm Irish on both sides) comes to mind -- are good, but not stellar. Slightly tastier than serviceable.
Unfortunately, when the place is busy -- and it's busy pretty much all the time -- the service can be slow, though the waitresses and hostesses are attractive (a little on the older side) and mildly friendly. The bartenders? Well, they don't seem to know how to make a black-and-tan (that is, they don't seem to be able to pour it in discrete layers of Bass Ale and Guinness Stout, which is really 90 percent of the point of ordering this staple of Irish pubs), so that doesn't bode particularly well.
Prices are about average for decent places in the Valley. About what you'd pay at the Nines or New England Seafood -- $5 pints, sandwiches in the $8 range, entrees about $15. No bargain, but not a clip joint, either.
I want to love this place because, A. it's in my neighborhood in west Methuen and B. it is a swell atmosphere that's generated plenty of buzz in town. So far, though, I'm not loving it yet.
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